How can I best view the Perseids meteor shower?

If you live near a brightly lit city, drive away from the glow of city lights and toward the constellation from which the meteors will appear to radiate. For example, drive north to view the Perseids. Driving south may lead you to darker skies, but the glow will dominate the northern horizon, where Leo rises. Perseid meteors will appear to "rain" into the atmosphere from the constellation Perseus, which rises in the northeast around 11 p.m. in mid-August.

After you've escaped the city glow, find a dark, secluded spot where oncoming car headlights will not periodically ruin your sensitive night vision. Look for state or city parks or other safe, dark sites. Once you have settled at your observing spot, lay back or position yourself so the horizon appears at the edge of your peripheral vision, with the stars and sky filling your field of view. Meteors will instantly grab your attention as they streak by.

A bright meteor may leave a ghostly glowing trail after it has passed. The technical name for this is a train - i.e. the fast moving streak is the meteor's trail and a glowing remnant of the trail is known as the meteor's train.

How do I know the sky is dark enough to see meteors?

If you can see each star of the Little Dipper, your eyes have "dark adapted," and your chosen site is probably dark enough. Under these conditions, you will see plenty of meteors. Circle August 12th on your calendar, for early that morning a moderate to possibly very strong showing of annual Leonid meteor shower is likely. The very strong display will favor those living across most of central and eastern Asia. In this region, meteor rates might briefly rise to a few hundred per hour (the time frame for the most intense activity is anticipated sometime around 21:40 GMT).

A far more modest, but still potentially enjoyable display of a few dozen Leonid meteors per hour is expected to favor North America. In the United States and Canada, eastern observers will be particularly well-positioned for maximum activity, expected sometime between 3:30 and 5:30 a.m. EST, when the radiant of the Leonid shower will be well up in the dark southeastern sky.

Moon forecast

The moon will a few days past New Moon duing Perseids. There will be no moonlight to interfere with the meteor shower. This will be a great show!

Perseid Fact File

First apeared: Mid-1862

Name origin: Appears to ra
diate from the constellation Perseus.

Parent: Swift-Tuttle (comet)

Start date: July 23rd

Rate on peak: 60 per hour

End date: August 20th

Past Perseids Showers (video)

Perseids 1

Perseids 2

Perseids 3

Viewing locations and times to view the Perseids meteor shower

Africa

Asia

Australia

South America

View Africa Countries

View Asian Countries

Australian Cities

South American Counties

Europe

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Ireland

Italy

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Spain

Sweden

United Kingdom

North America - United States

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

North America - Canada

Alberta

British Columbia

Ontario

Québec

Saskatchenwan

Nova Scotia

New Brunswick

More Viewing Advice

No telescope is needed or even wanted. Just find the darkest place you can with the fewest trees and tall buildings blocking your view of the sky, get a blanket and lay on the ground or a lawn chair that lets you recline way back and just look at the sky. Give it at least half an hour before you give up. You may go many minutes without seeing a single meteor even at the peak of the shower. Viewing is usually better after midnight because that puts you on the "front" side of the Earth in its orbit. Looking for meteors in the early evening is like looking for bug splats on the back window of your car. The bugs usually splat on the windshield in front.

Watching a meteor shower consists of lying back, looking up at the sky ... and waiting. When you sit quite still, close to the rapidly cooling ground, you can become very chilled. You wait and you wait for meteors to appear. When they don't appear right away, and if you're cold and uncomfortable, you're not going to be looking for meteors for very long! Therefore, make sure you're warm and comfortable. Heavy blankets, sleeping bags, groundcloths, auto cushions, and pillows are essential equipment.

Perseids Tip

Watching a meteor shower consists of lying back, looking up at the sky ...and waiting.

Perseids Fact

Scientists say the meteor shower will peak between Wednesday and Saturday with amateur astronomers being able to see up to 100 meteors an hour alone on Thursday night.

Perseids Tip

Keep in mind that any local light pollution or obstructions like tall trees or buildings will reduce your making a meteor sighting. Give your eyes time to dark-adapt before starting.